1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dual recycling-type coin changer in which coin inlets and coin outlets are disposed on mutually-opposed outer surfaces, wherein coins can be simultaneously put into the respective coin inlets disposed on the mutually-opposed outer surfaces by different users at the same time. Particularly, the present invention relates to a recycling-type coin changer in which coin inlets and coin outlets enable coins to be simultaneously inserted into the coin inlets disposed on the mutually-opposed outer surfaces to provide a compact and economical coin changer with shared common components.
2. Description of Related Art
In Japanese Patent No. 4323850, FIGS. 7-9 and Paragraphs 0024 to 0028, there is described a coin handling apparatus provided with coin inlet units and coin outlet units provided for customer-interface with dedicated coin conveyance units extending from the coin inlet units, respectively. A common coin distinguishing/counting unit is used to distinguish the genuineness/counterfeit status of the coin denominations, and the number of the coins conveyed by the dedicated coin conveyance units. A common coin sorting unit sorts the respective coins that have been determined to be genuine by the coin distinguishing/counting unit, by the denominations thereof and can send a coin to a common coin safe and reject a counterfeit coin. A dispensed-coin common conveyance unit, which receives any coin rejected by the coin sorting unit and also any coin dispensed from a coin safe permits such coins to be discharged to appropriate coin outlet units.
A common control unit controls these operations and the coin common conveyance unit is provided with a discharge belt, which is endlessly suspended by at least two rollers and configured so that the belt can be moved in both a forward and reverse direction by a drive unit. The discharge belt has both ends adjacent to the coin outlet units, respectively. A tilting unit, which supports the discharge belt so that the belt can be vertically swung like a seesaw and alternately lower the ends so that a conveyance surface of the discharge belt can be tilted downward toward either one of the coin outlet units.
Japanese utility Model Laid-Open Application No. H06-059960 describes a known coin processing apparatus in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, Paragraphs 0002 to 0008, which is configured to hold coins which have been put into an inlet of a main body of the coin processing apparatus, with temporal holding units without storing the coin into a safe in the main body of the coin processing apparatus until a predetermined processing operation such as a ticketing process is started. If the processing operation is cancelled before starting the processing operation, the coins are ejected from the temporal holding units, onto a belt conveyor communicated with a return opening of the main body of the coin processing apparatus.
Also, if there is a need to dispense change, coins are ejected onto the belt conveyor and collected by a tray provided in the opposite side of the return opening. The direction of the upper surface of the belt conveyor has a tilt angle with respect to a horizontal line so that the upper surface is tilted downward toward the direction of conveying the coin on the belt conveyor to the return opening side. The tilt angle is formed so that, when the conveyance direction of the belt conveyor is moving toward the tray, the coin on the belt conveyor can be conveyed.